However many of the responses to the list gave series of books, some of them 12 volumes in length, some not even finished yet.

I find it really despairing that the trend in recent years in SF and fantasy is that if an author doesn't write at least a trilogy, then his books are not worth publishing.

So this what this geeklist is about. I want to hear about good books whose author managed to be concise enough to write them in one volume. They could be 900 pages long, but they are one, complete, book, not a 15 volume never-ending saga.

[Edit] As requested by one of the commenters, here is the list of recommended books in the geeklist - my apologies if I ommited anything:

A fire upon the deep - Vernor VingeAnathem - Niel StephensonAmerican Gods - Neil GaimanNeverwhere - Neil GaimanThe Man in the Maze - Robert SilverbergTigana - Guy Gavriel KayHouse of Leaves. by Mark Z. DanielewskiThe Anubis Gates or On Stranger Tides both by Tim PowersTiger Tiger (aka The Stars My Destination) by Alfred BesterFriends Come In Boxes by Michael G ConeyThe Godwhale by TJ BassThe Worm Ouroboros by ER EddisonSilverlock by John Myers MyersThe Demolished Man by BesterFantastic Voyage by Otto Klement and Jerome BixbyA Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'EngleUrsula K. Le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven.The Andromeda Strain by Michael CrichtonSpin by Robert Charles WilsonThe Overlords of War by Gerard KleinThe Shockwave Rider by John BrunnerCandy Man by Vincint King, 1971Perdido Street Station by China MievilleChildhood's End by Arthur C. ClarkeRoger Zelazny- A Night in the Lonesome OctoberBrasyl by Ian McDonaldThe Limits Of Enchantment by Graham JoyceJoe Haldeman's The Forever WarThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi.Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games, Excession by Iain BanksRiddley Walker by Russell Hoban. Eifelheim by Michael Flynn.

This is a great book about eco-revenge that hasn't gotten nearly as much hype here in the U.S. as it deserves. The added bonus is that there is a game coming out based on the book shortly . . . edit: fixed spelling errors

A quick, self-contained read and a fantasy classic. An amazing mix of light and quirky humour and some of the most frightening passages I've ever read (probably because they come as such a shock after the light tone of the first chapter).

Usually famous for his Vlad Taltos series and other books taking place in the same world, Steven Brust had a very excellent standalone novel called To Reign in Hell. This is a fantasy novel about an interesting take on the War in Heaven, how it starts and plays out from the perspective of various angels.

I'm a pretty big fan of his work, but this was probably one of my favorites from him. Very interesting style to this book that I've not seen in many other places. It's almost entirely told in dialogue. The book has some great humor to it as well.

I would say that Dune, by Frank Herbert stands alone just fine on its own. I can say this because it's the only book in the series that I've read and I felt it was a very complete story. I've tried to read the second book but it's a huge snooze-fest.

Dune was originally written as just a novel, as well. He chose to expand it after the novel was written. Unless I'm totally mistaken.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. I almost forgot. It's very nearly sci-fi. And even if you wish to quibble about whether or not it is, there is no denying that it is a very clever and fantastic novel. Burgess's best (much to his own chagrin!).

Best Served Cold, by Joe Abercrombie. A stand-alone novel in the same universe as his highly regarded First Law series. Be warned this one is dark and gritty and brutal, but that's my favorite genre, so

It's the story of a female general who is betrayed, survives an assassination attempt that kills her brother, and sets out to get revenge on the seven people who took part. Good stuff. (but srsly, it's dark)

Lord of Light, by Roger Zelazny. This is my very favorite Sci-fi/fantasy book of all time. It's an amazing story with really incredible world building. It's hard to describe this one much without giving things away, but suffice to say it's the best examination I have ever seen of the statement that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

A fantasy with magic and vampires (but no dragon). It is set in an alternate 15th century and blends element of folklore, literature and historical record. It speculates upon events surrounding the rise of Richard III to the throne and has the backdrop of the Medicis, Margaret of Anjou and the War of the Roses.

It's set in the present day, about a new illness that seems to be attacking only pregnant women and their babies, only it turns out to be much more than just an illness. The science is interesting, and I really enjoyed the way Bear protrayed the public's reaction to everything that happens in the book.

Now, this book does have a sequel - Darwin's Children - however, your enjoyment of the first book won't be marred at all if you don't go on to read the second. It stands on its own just fine. And, if I'm being honest, the sequel wasn't nearly as good as the first one was anyway...

Deals with a world where a developed society based in space keep a third-world planetary surface society from developing technologically. The conceit is that the developed societies' technology is all rubber science, while the third world "magic" has practical explanations. The story is told through successive characters telling the main character their tales. It's a fascinating, richly detailed setting, a good story, plus it's quite funny.

Kim Stanley Robinson is one of my favorite science fiction authors. My favorite book by him is The Years of Rice and Salt, an alternate history book based on the premise: what if the black plague had killed everyone in Europe? It reads like the best history book you've ever read: it covers the exploration of the globe, the discovery of science, and the world war between China and the Middle East, among other topics (a civil war in the bardo, the realm where souls go between incarnations, is tantalizingly hinted at, but alas, never fully developed.). Nevertheless, the book has definite characters: a jati of three protagonists who reincarnate together every dozen or a hundred years, and through whose eyes we see history unfold.

It's a bold, visionary work which won the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel in 2003.

It's all packaged together in one book, which is how I read it. I fantastic novel of breath taking time spans, yet focusing on character details throughout. Board games even have a place in the book!

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - I'm just surprised no one mentioned this. It's the first book of a series, but its totally not necessary to read any more than the first book (which is very much stand alone), which I read again every few years because its that good!

This is a very good novel, one I also read again every few years. The novel deals primary with a war between two races, one in which many of the people have some type of telepathic ability and the other in which a small ruling minority enslave telepaths. Such fun things as terrific space battles and hard science is what makes the book so much fun (and other books by the same author).

While she did go on to write other books in the same universe (and some could argue they are part of a series), its not necessary to read more than the first book.

A warning is that some of her books did go on to be more "romancy" as time went on, but I really enjoy reading many/most others of her's I've come across including: The Last Hawk which deals with board games quite heavily, Catch the Lighting and others.

The Armageddon Rag by George R R Martin.This was his very first book. It's about a reporter covering the story of the murder of a record producer that produced records for a 70s group called The Nazgul. The origial lead singer is dead but the band is reforming with a new singer that looks and sounds like the orginal. It is full of LOTR references and mystery. A very good book.

where is the Canadian contingent? Robert Sawyer has a number of 1-off books that are great reads. nothing fancy, just a clever premise and a fun, well-thought out ride. Try the Terminal Experiment. or Calculating God. or Illegal Alien.

also: James Morrow. Towing Jehovah. God dies and his body is found in the ocean. Conspiracy, battle, and the sacrament. Much more, but its been 12 years since i read it (!). Jehovah was our first exposure to Morrow, so our favorite. you may want to start with Only Begotten Daughter. The second coming of Christ as a girl in modern times.

The Tsaddik of the Seven Wonders Interworld The Mutants are Coming The Hand of Ganz Transfer to Yesterday The Return Identity Plunderers Out of Sync Crystalworld Nightmare Express Wilk Are Among Us New York Confidential Murder in Yiddish Murder In Gotham Specterworld Incubo-Express